The invention relates generally to a file organization system and method suitable for use in conjunction with digital cameras including digital still cameras, digital video cameras, mobile telephones having integrated digital cameras, and the like, and more particularly to a system and method for automatically creating meaningful filenames for digital files, such as digital image files. As digital cameras have become widely used, the demand on the user to retrieve and manage digital images has also increased. To retrieve and manage digital images, the user typically transfers image files stored in a camera to a computer, and renames or reorganizes each file based on categories, such as an event or date.
The user experience when transferring pictures from a digital camera to an external device, such as a personal computer, can be time consuming and tedious for several reasons. First, numerous steps are usually required to perform an image transfer including connecting the digital camera, initializing the computer, such as running a transfer application on the computer, choosing an album or destination directory for images, and renaming the files. This process becomes more difficult as the number of images captured and transferred to the computer increases. In particular, when multiple series of images are taken for different clients, scenes, objects, etc. before the images are uploaded to the computer, the process can be time consuming since a large number of images needs to be transferred and the transfer of images form a digital camera to an external device may not be consistent and the amount of time required may vary from session to session.
Presently, digital cameras typically employ a default file-naming scheme for identifying and tracking digital image files stored in memory or transferred to a digital image-processing device, such as a computer. Typically, a default file naming scheme is used, which employs a combination of letters and numbers, usually sequentially assigned to files stored in memory of the digital camera. For example, several common default naming schemes employ an identifier comprised of a series of letters (e.g. DSC, IMG, etc.), a sequential number (i.e. 0001, 0002, 0003, etc) that is appended to this identifier to separate one image file from another, and a file extension (i.e. JPG, TIFF, etc.) after the number to specify the file type.
These naming schemes typically do not provide information about the content in the digital image file and users have to view each image, one by one, to determine the contents of the file. This can be a time consuming and tedious process, especially for a series of images that are named using the same series of letters and combined with sequential numbering (i.e. DSC0001.jpg, DSC0002.jpg, etc.).
Furthermore, renaming files in a computer or other device may be cumbersome. Typically, the user must select and rename each file individually within the computer's file management program. The file management program may permit batch renaming, which requires each of the files to be renamed to be highlighted. However, one mis-click and the highlighted files may no longer be highlighted, or the order of file numbering may be different from what the user wants, etc.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved file organization system and method for cataloging digital images that overcomes drawbacks and inadequacies of known methods and systems.